1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing apparatus which transforms an original image by generating a pattern having a predetermined form at a random position on the original image.
2. Related Background Art
There have been developed various devices and methods in various fields of digital image processing. A natural image such as a photograph may be input as digital image data and subjected to processing such as, for example, density conversion, gradation conversion, mosaic processing, and cutting-and-synthesizing processing to produce a creative image. One of those methods is to perform processes such as uniform density conversion, uniform gradation conversion, and uniform mosaic processing on the entire picture. In this case, the operator does not need to input or follow any special instructions, since the entire picture repeats the same pattern, and no modulations or variations are used; which results in a relatively an uninteresting image.
Another method is to designate a part of a picture using an image position input means such as a digitizer or a random number generating means and to perform density conversion, color conversion, and cutting-and-synthesizing processing, etc., only on a part of the image so designated. This produces an image which contains a processed portion and an unprocessed portion, so that the image has a modulation. Another processing on the once processed image would produce various patterns, to thereby produce a very creative image.
However, these methods take much time because random numbers are generated or executed by the operator's designation of the image position. Furthermore, when random designation is performed using a random number, patterns are formed at discrete positions, so that one pattern may be superposed on another one already formed, namely, processing may be performed twice or more on the same pixel, which takes excess time. In order to store the coordinates of pixels designated randomly by random numbers, a large capacity of memory is required, especially for storing image data of high resolution.
The applicant has proposed mosaic processing in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 007,785 filed Jan. 28, 1987.